Posted in Japanses seasons, observations, tagged Rainy season on May 31, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The sun is slowly sweeping away and being replaced with grey gloomy clouds. The sun which shone fiercely on mine and Barbara’s faces over a week and a half ago as we glided down the Arrashiyama river in Kyoto on a rickety wooden boat has dissapeared behind clouds which threaten to burst on the people scurrying [...]
Posted in observations, tagged snowboarding, sports on March 4, 2008 | No Comments »
Snowboarding.
First at Christmas, then January, a day trip in Hokkaido and a day trip in Shiga and finally a trip to Tsukaige in Nagano. Each time I go the beauty of the white mountains never cease to amaze me: courses are made of metres of snow piled and packed on-top of each other, the tops of trees [...]
Posted in observations, tagged immigrants, integration on January 20, 2008 | No Comments »
It’s a grey Sunday morning. My leopard print skirt, black leggings and glittery leg warmers are curled up on a chair by my window. Hazily looking at survivors of a drunken 80s fancy dress party I sit here drinking my tea while listening to the BBC world service in my western style appartment. Am I really in Japan?
Recently the [...]
Posted in Me in Japan, observations, tagged Japanese dance, Japanese sense of community on November 17, 2007 | No Comments »
Today was judgement day, after all our dancing practises we were finally on stage at the EXPO park showing off our wonderful dancing skills to a very cheesy pop Japanese song!It was an early start for a Saturday and wasn’t welcomed by those who had been heavily drinking at Hard Rock the night before. Mid [...]
Posted in observations, tagged Japanese schools, Ibaraki, Japanese students on October 3, 2007 | 1 Comment »
HELP! Click here if you want to see the beauty of a Japanese toilet!
When even something simple like going to the toilet can cause confusion I wonder how difficult it would have been to start my life in Japan completely by myself. It is no exaggeration to say that the JET programme has held our hand the [...]
Posted in observations, tagged Japan Osaka recylcing contradictions on September 23, 2007 | No Comments »
As I walked home today, jumping off the train, following crowds of Japanese shoppers, commuters and families as they walked purposefully to the exit gates, I saw what is becoming a very usual sight for me here in my new home: a drunken business man, dozing heavily under the influence of an alcohol induced sleep. Stopping for [...]
